Indirect Persuasion
by 12VelvetWhispers
Summary: Christmas in the World of the Living was never so eventful as it was this season. Because all new relationships have to start somewhere.


AN: Taking a short break from my other fics. Needed a change in scenery. This is a bit of a jump, my first yaoi fic; so cut me a little slack. Still trying to figure out the logistics of it all. Let me know what you think. R&R! This was posted under a different Username, but it has since been removed and transferred here.

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**Indirect Persuasion**

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Neither of us knows when it really started. If you ask me I would probably tell you it was last Christmas when he came to visit, or rather, when Rangiku dragged him down to Karakura town so she could participate in this festive occasion. He was never one for holidays, parties, and…y'know? Things that call unwanted attention to him. No, my little ice prince does not like social occasions, nor does he like being torn from his work to be forced into a social situation with Rangiku, Rukia, Renji, Orihime, Uryuu, Chad, and myself; Least of all me.

Gah, that little guy has hated me from the start. I could tell from the moment he first spoke to me that he was utterly annoyed with the fact that I even existed. Of course, that may have been due to the fact that the first thing I ever said to him was a crack at his stature and appearance. But what can I say; I didn't know he was a captain? He looked pretty young to me.

Anyway, that Christmas was one that I'll never forget. It started when Rukia, Rangiku, Uryuu, and Orihime decided to throw a huge Christmas party for the bunch of us. They were making lists, checking them twice, and raiding every party, liquor, and food store in the district. Rukia and Chad were set on getting the wickedest Christmas tree in the city; Rangiku and Uryuu were slaving over decorations and gift shopping, while Orihime was planning out all of the refreshments. I know what you are thinking, but she really has gotten better ever since Uryuu started instructing her on how to cook a proper meal. It's true she still isn't the best chef, but she can cook a mean beef chow mein.

Well, as all of our friends were bustling about the town trying to throw this little shindig together, that left me with Captain Sunshine himself to mull about the flat that I shared with Uryuu. And let me tell you, he is not very enjoyable to be around when he has nothing to occupy himself with.

So, to remedy the issue, being the clever young Soul Reaper that I am, I decide to offer a little game of 20 questions, just to get to know him a little better. I figure that if I am going to be stuck there with him for the majority of his stay that I might as well take an interest in the frosty Captain's life. Sure, it seems like a great idea at the time, a genius icebreaker…until I open my mouth to speak. "So…what do you like to do in your spare time?"

I half expect him to genuinely answer me for a second, but all I get is that bored stare and cocked right eyebrow. He glares at me for a moment before going back to staring at whatever he has been looking at before, which from my angle, appears to be an ornamental figurine of a dolphin sitting beside my 42" plasma TV. "I don't have spare time. I'm a Captain," he replies rather coldly, "and no, I will not engage in your little back and forth talking games that you teenagers enjoy so much."

I take the time to study him for a moment, figuring he isn't really in the mood for me to pressure him with questions any further. He looks so different in regular clothing; his whitewashed, boot-cut jeans hugged his frame nicely, resting neatly atop his emerald green socks encasing his petite feet. He wears a long-sleeved black t-shirt that bears an abstract design on the front in a metallic silver and green swirl. I swear I can almost make out the shape of a dragon in it somewhere, could just be me though. What I notice most though is the fact that he isn't as 'young' as he used to be. He has definitely grown; gaining several inches since the last time I had seen him. He is probably not too much shorter than Orihime, though he is definitely nowhere near my height. I can see through his surprisingly thin shirt that his muscles on his arms and chest have become more defined and, though he is still very lean, he no longer has the body of a child. His hair is a bit longer, the spikes still hanging slightly in his face, though the length is more defined on the sides and back. It works for him, though, giving him an almost ethereal appearance.

I am quite content on staring, until _I_ notice that _he_ has apparently noticed that _I_ am staring…and _he_ doesn't seem to like it too terribly much. "See something you like?"

I nearly choke at the pretentious and uncharacteristic retort. I can feel my eyebrows shoot up and my mouth drop open slightly, grabbing for some way to respond properly. It isn't too often that someone catches me off guard and has me speechless, but that is exactly where that little tight-ass has me at the moment. "Umm…why do you ask?"

I watch in misery as he rolls his eyes and rises from his seat, walking into the kitchen, "You know, for someone who just graduated from High School you don't appear to have very much tact."

I sigh as I watch him take a bottle of green tea out of the icebox; twisting the top and tossing his head back to gently sip the bittersweet liquid. It is almost fascinating to watch the way his eyelids droop, his jaw slackens, his throat contracting and relaxing rhythmically as he sips and swallows. _What the fuck is wrong with me…? Why can't I stop staring at the little prick?!_

I manage to tear my eyes away just in time for him to lower his chin, twist the cap back on the bottle and replace it in its spot in the cooling appliance. I watch out of the corner of my eye as he makes his way back over to the couch, grabbing my Rubik's cube before falling back into the tan colored cushions. I glance over as he begins to twist and slide the pieces around the prism toy, watching in fascination, as the colors seem to be falling into the appropriate places with little to no effort on his part. "Gah, how are you doing that? It took me a damn month to get one side all the same color."

It's his turn to scoff as he replies, his eyes never leaving the gadget, "It's a simple pattern. I shall explain it to you later if you stop being so annoying and dumb."

A small surge of irritation flashes through me, "I am NOT dumb!"

He chuckles for a small moment, "You are right. I am just a genius."

I gawk at him. I have never seen this side of the young Captain surface before. I have always seen the uptight, stick-to-the-rules, no fun allowed, don't fuckin' talk to me Captain of the 10th Division. This is almost like he's teasing me!

I run my fingers through my hair, "Touché, Toushiro, touché…"

I can see him visibly stiffen. "It's Captain Hitsugaya, half-wit."

It's my turn to chuckle slightly, "Don't you ever get tired of saying that?"

He places the completed puzzle on the coffee table at our feet, "Don't you ever get tired of hearing it?"

Taking that as my cue to change the topic and attempt conversation once again, I tuck my right leg under me, facing him slightly, "Point taken…so…is there anything that you wanted to do while you were here? We have some time before the party tonight if you want to try to get something interesting done."

I can hear the pale Soul Reaper next to me sigh softly in resignation, "Okay, what does one do around here that qualifies as 'interesting'?"

I brighten a bit at his acquiescence. "Well, since you would probably rather avoid our party-mates, I would suggest avoiding the mall."

I can see Toushiro scoff beside me, his snowy hair bobbing slightly at the jerky movement, "No problem. I wouldn't consider myself a shopper."

I smirk softly, "Good, because I don't like it either. In that case, we can go to the movies, or we can go to the park. It's kind of cold out though, starting to snow," I reply glancing out my window to my right, watching the heavy flakes descend to the ground below.

I watch the man next to me rise, sighing once again, though this time it sounds almost troubled, "On second thought, I think I'll just retire to the bedroom."

I frown deeply at his sudden hesitance and change of mood. This isn't like him at all to back down in such a passive manner. Something is definitely wrong with the snow-topped ice warrior, and I am going to figure out what it is.

I watch as his back retreats into the solitude of my bedroom that I am loaning him for his stay. The door shuts soundlessly behind him and I can hear the sound of the bathroom door opening and closing again. _He must be taking a shower…I wonder what's wrong_.

I take a deep breath and walk slowly into the bedroom, making sure he isn't in there before barging in unannounced. Seeing that the room is unoccupied, save for the clothing he was wearing before, I can hear the sound of the water running at full-blast in the adjoining bathroom. Walking up to the oak door, I lift my hand, knocking three times softly. There is no answer. I raise my hand to knock again, "Hey, Toushiro, is everything okay in there?"

I am surprised to get an answer, "Yeah…I'm fine."

I am a bit disturbed by his lack of insults or expletives assaulting my eardrums. It's almost sounding pathetic. _Okay, something is __**definitely**__ wrong here_…

Deciding to wait until he is finished, I take a seat at the desk beside my bed. Fiddling with some of the pencils, pens, papers, and books that are stacked there, I notice that the bed doesn't appear to have been slept in at all. This normally wouldn't bother me, if he hadn't already been here for two days. The man isn't sleeping and I really want…no, _need_ to know why.

Is it something that I said, did, didn't do? Has something happened while I wasn't looking? I don't know, but I am actually quite surprised that it is having this much of an effect on me. Normally I would be scoffing at the uptight bastard's lack of personality, but right now it seems as if something has switched on or off in my head. He has gone from lack of personality to down right worry-worthy. There is something different about him. I have noticed it since the end of the first day after they arrived.

-Rangiku had cooked a pretty decent dinner of shrimp rolls, fried rice, teriyaki chicken, and miso soup. We were all sitting at my table in the flat, Toushiro, Rangiku, and I. We had just gotten about halfway through the meal when Rangiku opened her big mouth and said, "I think we should play truth or dare!"

The other two of us just kind of looked at her for a moment before saying, almost simultaneously, "I think not!"

She whined for a moment, saying that we were 'no fun' and that we should 'live a little during the Christmas season." We couldn't disagree more and she was forced to eat her dinner knowing that she was not going to succeed in humiliating either of us. As soon as the meal had ended, Rangiku had risen announcing that she was headed for Orihime's and that she would return later the next night. They had shopping to do the next day.

As soon as she exited, I could tell that the night would be an interesting one. Uryuu wasn't going to be back until after midnight, and it wasn't even ten yet. For a few minutes we sat in silence, wondering what we were supposed to do next, neither having had to endure the others presence for more than a few hours at best. I could hear the ticking clock on the wall above the stove, the dripping of the leaky faucet that I had meant to get fixed a week ago. Finally, sighing in exasperation, I rose from my seat and walked over to the couch, folding one of the blankets that had been left messily about the couch. Sinking slowly into the comfortable couch I turned my head towards the silent one in the room and acknowledged, "Hey, you know you can come join me if you'd like. You don't need an invitation to come sit on my couch. This place is yours for the week."

Silently, as usual, he rose from his chair, gliding gracefully across the room, his grey jeans and ruby red polo top giving him a very business-casual look. Even in this clothing that was foreign to him he still managed to maintain a regal air about himself. As he sunk into the couch beside me, I noticed that the frown on his face was deeper than usual. "Hey, what's the matter?"

His eyes darted to face me, but he didn't make eye contact, something that I had not known him to slack on, being the pompous ass that he normally was. It shook me slightly, causing me to lose my train of thought and forget that I had even asked him a question. "I don't see that it would be any of your business."

Rolling my eyes at the expected response, I shrugged my shoulders, "Okay…If you don't wanna tell me, that's fine. But I do want you to know that you CAN talk to me. You don't have to be all uptight all the time."

As soon as the words left my mouth I tried to catch them, but they slipped right through my fingers and all I could do was brace myself for the tongue lashing I knew was to come. Closing my eyes for the imminent downpour of obscenities and insults, I was so distracted in preparation for the worst that I didn't even realize when nothing happened.

Cracking an eye to glance at the figure to my right, I was surprised to find that his head was hanging and he wasn't making a sound. "Umm…Toushiro…Are you okay?"

The only answer I got was a shuddering sigh and his head being raised to meet eyes with me. His stare was intense and I suddenly felt small in front of him. No one had looked at me and caused me to feel inferior before. This was new…

"You know, Kurosaki, I think you might be right for once…" The almost breaking voice of the normally stoic young captain pierced the air with a nearly ragged quality about it.

I gaped for a moment, opening and closing my mouth for good measure, knowing that no sounds were going to come out. It took me a moment to collect my thoughts enough to recover. "Umm…okay. I'm flattered, really, but what exactly do you mean by that?"

I could imagine the eyes rolling beside me, "About me not having to be so uptight, which I resent, by the way."

Not knowing whether to chuckle or remain serious, I decided on the latter, knowing that it shouldn't have any negative consequences, as opposed to the possibility of insult from the former. "Oh, well, thank you," and after a moment or two of silence, "So, what seems to be the problem? Something seems off about you."

I could see the wheels turning in the young tendo's head as he attempted to form his words before speaking, "It's really nothing that deserves attention. I just have a little too much on my mind at the moment. I think I just need to get some rest. I'll see you in the morning.

After that he had immediately risen and retreated into my room, leaving me to wonder what was really going on in the troubled captain's mind. -

Finally, the sound of the water stops, the shower curtain opening, and the sound of the towel being grabbed off of the rack, pulls me from my reverie. I wait for another few moments before the door opens, revealing a sight that I am not prepared to witness. The young Captain walks through the door like an Abercrombie model. His hair hangs limply around his face, darkened slightly from the weight of the water still saturating it. The beads of fluid are still resting on his long, lithe torso, tight and toned from years of hard training and battling. His arms, though still petite compared to mine, are toned so tightly that it looks like the veins in his forearms will burst through the skin if he flexes too hard. The towel hangs about his hips so low that his oblique muscles stand out erect and perfectly sculpted. He looks like a painting, a statue, or a mannequin. It doesn't look real. It is too perfect. Perfect…

That is the moment that changes everything for me. The moment where I know that I can never see him the same way again. I, Ichigo Kurosaki, am not openly gay. Oh no, I am very quiet about my sexuality. The truth is, I don't really know when I started to like boys, but all I know is that now I do. I haven't ever really been too attracted to anyone, male or female. Sure, there have been a few people here and there that I have had to look twice to clear my head, a few clumsy kisses between me and Tatsuki, a few awkward gropes shared with Renji, but I have never really been too focused on sex or relationships. But right now, my mouth is literally beginning to water at the sight of this perfect being before me.

I have never thought that any one person, especially a male, specifically a 'dead' Captain, would ever do the things that he is doing to my body. These are things that I do NOT want happening right now. _God, what is wrong with me_?!

"Is everything okay, Kurosaki? You seem distracted. Did something happen?"

The deep tenor voice resonates through my ears, caressing them in a torturously silky fashion. I have to nearly hiccup to keep my heart from beating out of my chest. I can't stop myself from rising from my seat; thankful that my pants were baggy enough to hide the effect he had on me. _Holy fuck! He's making me hard_… I watch as a new emotion flashes across his face as I began to walk towards him. Was it fear…intimidation…something else…?

"Kurosaki…what's wrong? You look perplexed…"

I can hear the nervousness trembling in his voice. I feel kind of bad that I am confusing him so much. I just can't stop myself. I continued to walk towards him, coming to a stop a few inches in front of him. I can tell by the stiffness in his shoulders and his clenched fists that he is nearing the threshold of fight or flight. I can tell that he, in all of his wisdom and intellect, doesn't know how to handle this situation. And I feel for him…that's when I lose it.

"Kurosaki…"

"Shhh…" I whisper, raising a finger to his lips, pressing lightly against the petals that are so much softer than I have anticipated for them to be. "Call me Ichigo. I'm tired of all these formalities, Toushiro."

I can see him visibly stiffen once more, "That's Captain Hit—"

"Yeah yeah…just shut up," I say as I lift a hand to cup his left cheek, my thumb brushing across his bottom lip. My other hand grips his right wrist lightly, and I mutter, "Don't ruin this for either of us. You can kick my ass later if you want. Just go with it…"

And with that I tighten my hold on the wrist I have just grabbed and pull him flush against me, the moisture from his torso soaking into and dampening my loose-fitting white cotton shirt. I can feel him tense even more, of possible, but I hold onto him in case he decides to make a break for it. He isn't getting away this time. I have allowed him to run too many times from the issues we have kept between us, gnawing at any chance of maintaining a decent friendship.

I can feel the unsteadiness in his breathing; he is definitely shocked. So I wait, waiting until he is ready to breathe normally again. As I hold him there I lose my ability to process intelligent thought as I inhale the intoxicating scent of the frosty war-hardened warrior. It is a thick scent of spicy pine and sweet, musky vanilla, a mix that I have never imagined would combine so nicely. I am so taken with the presence, scent, and warmth of him that I don't notice when he starts to speak, "So, Ichigo…" he nearly purrs, "are you going to stand there all night or are you going to kiss me?"

Those words have me in a flurry of emotion: surprise at his failure to decapitate me, shock at the way in which he levels with my emotions, excitement at the way he has deeply vocalized my given name, and horribly aroused at the way in which he is now leaning into my touch; running his free hand along the junction of my hip, his thumb caressing the soft skin at the crest of the joint peeking out from beneath my shirt.

In that next moment I am taken over by a heat, a passion, and madness so rich and overwhelming that there is no chance of stopping it. "I really hope you are okay with this, because once I get going, I don't think I'll be able to stop it. There's no going back…"

The response I get is enough to send a heavy shudder down my spine to settle in the very core of my soul. "Don't worry. I promise not to scream too loud."

Then, when the shudder has made it's way to the pit of my being, I grab his porcelain cheeks with both of my rough callused hands and bring his face to mine, stopping mere millimeters before contact. Then I whisper, air blowing across our lips causing us both to shudder, "Don't worry. I promise not to _make_ you scream too loud."

I see him smirk just before our lips crash to one another's in a searing, head-spinning contact. If someone had told me that kissing Hitsugaya would be the equivalent of eating my favorite spice cakes I would have knocked the fuck out of him or her, but now I have a new respect for my scrumptious cakes. His lips are smooth, soft, and creamy, if that makes any sense at all. Desperate and rich, the kiss is a combination of lust, need, and all the pent up sexual frustration that has built up in the last few years.

As we are kissing, I can feel myself moving forward, which means that either I am moving Toushiro towards the bed, or he is pulling me himself. Either way I am definitely not complaining. He comes in contact with the bed, seating himself and wrapping his hands around me to grab a firm hold on my ass. Our kiss becomes more heated as I slide my tongue into his eagerly awaiting cavern tasting of sweet cinnamon. _God, he has no idea what he does to me_…

I break the kiss just long enough unbutton and remove my shirt, tossing it across the room, not caring where it lands. I bring my hands to his hips and pull him up off of the bed towards my own, earning a groan from our now throbbing erections crashing against one another. _Fuck, I've never felt anything like this in my life_; all I can do is moan and thrust against him again, pulling a small whimper from the stoic captain's lips. He then moves to undo my belt, and I freeze for a second in time. "Wait, are you sure you want this…?"

My breath hitches in my throat as those turquoise eyes lock onto my own amber ones. The intensity in that gaze is enough to melt all of my bones into mush. He doesn't even have to answer me, he just continues to undo my pants sliding the denim to pool at my feet, leaving me to kick them off and shiver slightly from the chill of being in nothing but my sky blue boxers. He remedies that rather quickly though, by latching his mouth back onto mine, pulling me with him onto the bed as he crawled backwards.

As we crawl, never breaking contact with our kisses, I reach down to his waist, hooking my fingers under the towel, working it loose. He breaks the kiss to give me an almost feral smirk before leaning forward and nipping at my jawbone, giving me a shot of pleasure. That surge is all that I need to throw the towel open and slide my warm hands across the cool flesh of his creamy hips, gazing in lust at the throbbing, erect member that stands shamelessly for my hungry eyes to admire.

I can't help but sit there and stare, running my fingers along his hips and inner thighs as I take in the gorgeous sight of his manhood. I can't keep myself from palming the head, pressing it into his stomach, "Kuro…saki…" he breathes in a raspy whisper, obviously shaken with pleasure.

"Ichigo. Remember, call me Ichigo," I say as I wrap my lean fingers around the base of his now dripping cock, pumping it slowly and torturously.

"Oh, God. Ichigo…keep doing that and…ah…I won't last long."

To remedy this issue, even though it exhilarates me dangerously, I remove my hand from the member, moving my body down to wrap my arm around his waist. Pulling his hips up off of the bed, I lean down to lave at his naval, which I must have a thing for because it is turning me on even more to hear him groaning in pleasure at my ministrations. I can't help but moan as he runs his lithe, nimble fingers through my hair, massaging my scalp gently.

When I finally lift my head to look at him, he is flushed and bothered, biting his lower lip tensely. Smirking, I run my hand down his tight, pale chest, savoring the warmth and smooth softness of his baby skin. I can smell his scent all over him and it is driving me absolutely nuts with its musky sweetness. I turn my attention back to his erection, and I run my finger along the deep vein on the underside; his hips are thrusting upwards involuntarily as he attempts to feel more of me on him. I decide that he is far too coherent and not nearly noisy enough. So, giving him a demonic smirk, I slide my body down his and begin to tongue-bathe his glorious erection. "Ahhh…Ichigo!"

I cover the head with my tongue lapping gently before taking it in my mouth and suckling lightly upon it. He starts to squirm around as if he is trapped and can't get loose. I push my mouth down further onto his nicely sized shaft. He is just long enough to the point that I can get almost all of him into my mouth without having to keep from choking. I slowly pull off before beginning to bob my head up and down erratically on his extremely hard member. "Oh, God! Ichigo! You have to stop…I can't hold on much…"

At those words I slow to a stop, pulling my mouth off of his weeping cock, licking my lips in satisfaction. "You have no idea how much I have wanted to do that…" I whisper guiltlessly.

I can see his eyes rolling around in his head behind his lids, desperately trying to focus. When he finally gets his bearings, he looks at me and appears almost afraid. I frown slightly at the expression on his face. "Are you okay?" I ask timidly, scared that he will have second thoughts and decide this is all a big mistake.

"How far are you wanting this to go, Kurosaki?"

I freeze. I wasn't expecting to have to answer any questions. I hadn't planned on any of this and I am hoping for it to just go naturally and whatever happens will happen. Taking a deep breath, I clear my head enough to form a coherent sentence, though I still can't think completely straight. "Well, if you don't mind, I would like to see how far we could go with this. I didn't come in here with a plan, so let's just see where this takes us. Is there anything that you are opposed to? I don't want to hurt you or make you feel uncomfortable."

I can see the fear in his eyes subsiding slowly. He nods lightly, averting his eyes to my boxers, "I trust you…"

His hand makes its way down to my erection, stroking it softly and gently through the thin fabric. I can't help but hiss in agonizing pleasure, throwing my head back and closing my eyes. "Ohh…Toushiro. Can you get the lube out of the drawer?"

I watch as he twists his body around and fumbles around, retrieving a bottle of watermelon scented lubrication. His eyebrows quirk slightly, "Hmm…I like watermelon."

He pops the cap open and squeezes a tiny bit onto his index finger before handing it to me. Holy fucking shit, my dick gets harder than it has ever been in my life when he flicks his tongue out over his finger and smirks slightly at the taste. "Yum…"

With that I pour a small amount into my palm, generously coating my index, middle, and ring fingers on my right hand. I sit back on my heels with my knees together, scooting him down on the bed and lifting his hips to rest on them. The moment is so surreal when I finally begin to massage his tight little hole with my middle finger, causing him to squirm a little before relaxing. "Just take deep breaths. If I hurt you let me know and I'll stop."

Then I slowly work the first finger into the canal, pushing gently past the tight ring of muscles. He stiffens slightly, but soon relaxes again, doing his best to accommodate my nimble fingers. Working that finger around a bit and seeing no signs of discomfort, I decide to add another finger, the index finger, slowly working it in with the second one, a tiny whimper of mixed emotion slipping past his lips. As I begin to add the third and final finger, I lean down to nip and suck at his neck, doing my best to distract from the discomfort that I know he is feeling while I search for that spot…

He suddenly tenses and lets out a noise that sounds like a grunt and a moan at the same time, squeezing his eyes shut at the sensation. That's when I know I've found it. I know he's ready for me now, so I use my free hand to lube up my erection, my other hand still busy preparing him. Brushing my fingers over that spot again, he writhes and arches his back off of the bed in a wanton manner that is so uncharacteristic of his personality, letting out another strangled moan. But then again, who isn't a different person in bed than in the work setting?

I lift his hips up further and spread my knees slightly to get a better angle, positioning my swollen member at his entrance. I wrap his thighs around my waist; spreading his legs as far as I can to give me the easiest access, his creamy skin sliding softly against mine. I now have a light sheen of sweat covering my body, and he is glistening as well, causing a light friction that gives a heated feeling to the setting. As I slowly begin to push in I can feel his muscles beginning to tighten. "Just relax. You don't want it to hurt."

Toushiro immediately complies, taking a deep breath to calm himself down enough to relax his body. As he becomes accustomed to the size, I start to push more in very slowly. Inch by inch is more and more torture for me not to plow into him with reckless abandon. But I know that if I do I will just anger him and he will never want to do this again, assuming he ever does anyway. _God, he is so tight and warm_… When I am finally completely sheathed, I look at his face, reading his emotions. There is a display of desire, apprehension, and relief.

It takes every ounce of self-control to remain still, but I really want to wait for him to give a physical or verbal signal that he is ready. Then, I finally hear his husky, breathless voice whisper, "…move."

Toushiro is still Toushiro and I can't help but smirk. I slowly pull out then push back in, giving him a chance to get used to the feeling of something moving around inside of him. Soon enough, he is bucking his hips lightly in time with my even thrusts, so I begin to speed up, our hips grinding harshly against each other. "God, you are so tight…" I manage to grunt out.

Then I plunge in at a deeper, sharper angle and Toushiro practically screams at the sensation that it evokes. Groaning at the sudden tightness that envelopes me, I know that I have found THE spot inside of him and continue to push at the same angle, holding the now thrashing and seizing body against my own. "Oh…Ichigo…Mmm…ahh…I…"

"Toushiro…Dammit…"

I groan because every time I hit that spot the already tight body encasing me tenses and contracts around me, squeezing in an almost painful fashion. It is a glorious feeling. Heat and velvety softness floods my body, so I lift myself onto my knees, pitching myself forward and bracing myself with one hand on the bed for better leverage. With a wanton whine, Toushiro's lithe fingers grab onto my shoulders and his arms hook under mine to wrap around my back and ground himself. I can see him biting on his lower lip, so I lean up and gently began to suckle it, "Don't bite…Just let the sounds come out. I want to hear you."

"Ichi…God…I'm…"

"Just a little longer…I'm almost there."

Then I reach over and, with my free hand, wrap my fingers around his throbbing, weeping erection, and begin to pump it in time with my thrusts, which are speeding up quickly. Then, with a loud, pleasure-filled cry, Toushiro's lean body shakes as he releases against my hand onto his pale chest and stomach, his legs dropping limply to the bed on either side.

The tightness of his climax sends intense sensations through my body and I see spots as it pushes me over the edge as well, releasing myself into his throbbing body. "Tou…shiro!"

For a few silent moments, we stay in that position with me still inside of him until the stars disappear from our eyes and we can breathe normally again. Eventually I gently pull out of him, grabbing the base of my now softening member and pushing against his buttocks to remove myself. After wiping down with the towel he has been using, I flop down next to him on the bed and throw an arm across his chest. The young tendo is already falling asleep from the sheer exhaustion of the task. I lean over and press my lips to the damp forehead, gently moving the hair from his slick brow. "Wanna tell me what was bothering you now?"

There is a small scoff from the icy captain, "Actually, I was just having a really bad headache. These gigai don't synchronize very well in the beginning. It takes a while."

I stare in amusement, "A headache? You were all worked up about a headache? But you haven't been sleeping."

"Wait, what gave you that idea?"

"You're bed is still made…"

There is an outright laugh. Something I have never heard from that being before me. I am confused…

"Oh, Kurosaki… I have been sleeping very well. The thing is, I happen to make my bed when I wake up…unlike some people."

It is my turn to look embarrassed. "Oh…"

So, I think that it is at least safe to say that this is the day that we took our relationship to a whole new level. I don't even think that he could argue with that fact. But to this day, a year later, we still wonder what it is that brought us together and what it is that took us three years to figure out that we wanted each other.

And so, this Christmas, tomorrow night, I will hold my Lil 'Shiro close to me and show him that no matter how long it took to finally realize the depth of my feelings for him, I will never love, never hold, never want another as much as I do him. Because even though we've hurt, suffered, sacrificed, and had our hearts broken to get where we are today, it is all worth it. Because every night, when I close my eyes, I get to hold him close to me and know that everything in this world is second and he is all that ever really matters.

Everything that I have done brought me straight to him.

Everything that I am doing is keeping him close and drawing him nearer.

Everything that I will do will help to shape the future that we hold and share.

I couldn't have been happier with any other path, any other life, any other choice…


End file.
